The officiating mistake was a doozy — and cannot be fixed. The play that followed was even more astonishing.

A misinterpreted rule extended the game when it should have been over and allowed Central Michigan to score a wild touchdown on a Hail Mary and lateral — yes, both — that covered half the field for a 30-27 upset of No. 22 Oklahoma State on Saturday.

OSU tried to kill the final four seconds by throwing the ball away on fourth down, but the Cowboys were penalized for intentional grounding, a loss-of-down penalty. Rules state that the game cannot end on an accepted live-ball penalty, referee Tim O'Dey of the Mid-American Conference, CMU's league, said. "There's an exception to the rule that says if enforcement of the foul involves a loss of down, then that brings the game to an end," O'Dey told a pool reporter.

O'Dey said after conferring with NCAA rules committee secretary Rogers Redding after the game that the crew determined the "extension should not have happened."

But Article 3b of the NCAA rule book states: When the referee declares that the game is ended, the score is final.